Monday, April 28, 2014

I'll be perfectly honest. The reason I've taken so long to write a post on clipping is that I can't figure out how to clip. It could be because my hair is very fine and thin. It could be operator error. Clips flop over or slide down the length of my hair. Or if clipping does work, I get unnatural looking volume. I have never tried the Deva clips, which are larger then other clips that shape. Deva clips are closer to the size of duckbill clips. Deva clip may work for me, but I have my doubts.

There are other women on the Wavy Hair Community that have clipping down pat. They mix several of these methods on different parts of their hair to get their hair flowing in the right direction and achieve great volume. I'm amazed at their mix of engineering and artistry. Anyway, here are a bunch of clipping videos.

Roller Clamps. Here is a Frizz Off roller clamp video. You can find roller clamps other places, but you want to look for ones with a curved shape, so they don't crush your waves. I've also seen people use large octopus clamps or curved jaw clamps. I think most people use these types of clips just on the roots, like the video below and don't gather up all their hair into a clip like in the video in the linked above.
Start this video at 5:30 to see how to use the roller clamps.

Videos showing how to use small jaw or octopus clips.

Update: I have finally found a method of clipping that works for me. This is the method I learned from stylist Emily Kleinsorge of Lucy Skyrocket Hair Salon in Austin Texas.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

I changed the name of my blog to The Wavy Library. Here is the story behind the name change.

My sister and I started the Curly Girl Method at the same time. I had lots of time to research it. She had a baby, was moving, and fixing up the new and old home so she was too busy to read anything. I bookmarked everything so she could read it later. When I was posting on Curl Talk, I'd often add one of my bookmarked links to a post. This earned me the nickname The Wavy Librarian, which I think is a pretty awesome nickname. Unfortunately, naming the blog The Wavy Library didn't occur to me until yesterday. Well, better late then never.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Tangle Braid and Tangle Low Ponytail were "invented" by my sister. We are both sure she isn't the first one to invent Tangle Braid. We are sure it exist already under another name. If you know what the actual name for this braid is, please let me know. Above is a picture of my sister with a Tangle Braid. Below is a picture if her with Tangle Low Ponytail. Tangle Braid can be left as is (show above). You can add a ponytail holder to finish it off. Or, you can bobby pin the ends under the braid.

Here is my video Youtube tutorial I filmed on how to do tangle braid. If your hair is very tangled, you do not have to actually section your hair. You can just grab tangled clumps that are in the general area you would want the sections to be. The beauty of tangle braid is that it works on hair that is already tangled. It is great for when you are out in the world and your hair has turned into a tangled mess and you need to do something with it.

Some people were confused about what exactly was happening with the "braid". My hands are in the way in the video, so it isn't that easy to see. Here are some visual aids I made. Just ignore what is written in pen, the demo didn't work as I originally envisioned. I tried to demonstrate the entire braid with yarn, but that just looked like a big ole pile of yarn.

If you have a large tangled clump, you can just make a hole in it and skip to the blue thread looping shown in pic 4.
If not, cross the strands/clumps that you have pulled straight back from the bang area.

Cross the sections/clumps a second time.

This creates a "hole". You will pull the next section/clump through this "hole".

Pull the next section (blue yarn) through the "hole" you created. Only pull this section/clump part way through the "hole". This creates a loop (blue yarn). You will pull the next section through this loop.

The next section/clump (dark blue) is pulled through the loop you just created (light blue loop). Again, only pull the new section (dark blue) through part way to create a new loop. Continue doing this until you get to your last section/clump of hair. The last section of hair will be pulled all the way through the loop.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

On 9/5/13, CURLS put up this Facebook post: "Received an email today from someone in need of products for her
"extremely kinky hair." Excited at the prospect, i replied, "send me
pix, i'd love to help!" OMG...she had STRAIGHT hair, a tiny limp...just
lots of frizz. Not really CURLY HAIR..."

Several wavies got offended by this. Straight, frizzy hair is wavy hair with few exceptions. (Damaged straight hair can be frizzy. Straightened curly hair can be frizzy.) I would expect the person who answers e-mails and gives product advice would know this basic fact about wavy hair. I guess not. The woman who wrote in most likely has wavy hair that might actually benefit from their products. Kinky hair can mean type 4 hair. It can also mean hair that narrows and widens at the hair shaft or has torsion twists. This can occur on any hair type. 40% of my wavy hair is kinky. Are their products not for tiny limp hair? Are they only for thick hair? I can't imagine how the woman who wrote in must feel having the gist of her e-mail made public, having the company publicly insult her hair, having the company make her look foolish, and then having the company make a joke at her expense. In my humble opinion that is exceptionally unprofessional behavior.

Several wavies were offended and commented on this post on the CURLS Facebook page. (link to the post above) Instead of recognizing that what they did was offensive and taking the post down, they chose to defend it. Not only did they defend the post, the defended the disparaging comments about the customer who wrote to them. Then, they deleted the critical comments made by posters and blocked them from the site. Here are some examples of the comments that were deleted. I'm sure you will agree that they are not rude.

The first comments from A are not an exact quote. They are reconstructed from her memory. The other comments are taken either from screen captures or the commenter made a copy of their comment. "A" was one of the first people to have her comments deleted. She did not know she would need to make a record of her comments. There were more similar comments from other posters that were also deleted.
A's comments were deleted and she was blocked. I have and use curls products, does this mean since i
am a wavy and not a "true" curly, that i should discontinue use of your
products? Shall i stop recommending them to other WAVIES?
Lots of wavies use ethnic hair care products because they DO work for
us.
I really liked the products, but i guess i won't be re-purchasing.

A posted in response to comments about the above post:

For the record, I do "get" the post. I just think
it's inappropriate.
Many wavies spend their lives believing they have "frizzy" "wonky"
straight hair. But with the right products and techniques, they can into
beautiful ringlets. Maybe we don't have the same problems as "true"
curlies, but we have our own set of unique problems that are not the
issues of straight hair.
I think it's bad business to not educate yourself on these issues and the
potential benefit of your products for this hair type.

J's comments were deleted and and she was blocked.
"The word "kinky" has different meanings in different countries/cultures/ethnic groups. To Caucasians in the UK it means hair that appears neither straight or properly wavy, just unruly or wonky or cowlicks. Most of the time that is wavy hair that is treated badly, especially if there is a lot of frizz. I can EASILY get my 2c ringlets to look straight but poofy/fluffy/frizzy with shampoo and brushing. I've even seen 3a Caucasians be able to achieve the same. Shame on you for being publicly RUDE about a potential customer and so lacking in knowledge of the behavior of hair with weaker curl patterns."
J also commented:
"CURLS says frizzy and straight, anyone in the wavy community will tell you that doesn't exist in nature- it is either totally fried hair or the vast majority of the time, hidden wave. Of course we know our own hair type, just as you know yours."

H's comments were deleted and she was blocked:
"Why does it matter so much that she had straight hair or that she described it as extremely kinky? She clearly wanted to try something to help with the frizz. Moisture often helps tame frizz, and your products aim to hydrate hair and minimize frizz. Your company is called CURLS, but under the label it is still a conditioner or a cleanser or a styling product.

My friends daughter "loves" your products, and her hair is straighter then mine. She swims a lot and she sometimes dyes her hair, so it gets frizzy and dry from that, and your products help her hair regain moisture and strength. They are a treat for her when her hair needs help. Should she stop buying them because her hair is straight? Are you so curl snobby Clique-y as to want to cut off potential customers by saying your products don't work on their hair (which is a stupid thing to say)? Why not let them buy and decide for themselves?

The bigger issue with this post is the attitude toward the customer and the fact that the thoughts were aired publicly like this. It's highly unprofessional and gives your company a bad image that you talk bad about customers/potential customers. It is also bad form to ban A- and delete her comments. I saw nothing overly rude. It shows how petty you really are. It's your page and you can do what you like, but this outward persona doesn't look good from a customer service stand point. Why you choose to stand and defend this post to the point of losing customers is beyond me. It clearly hit a nerve with some people, so the gracious and courteous thing to do would be to say "I'm sorry if this post was in poor taste or offended people." and then remove it and be done with it."

H also wrote:"I, for one, would like to see the picture
of said straight hair. Wavy texture is pretty much everything between
straight and curly hair. It can have very loose and light waves to
deeper waves and some spirals. But again, the name CURLS on the bottle
is just marketing. All the little sub groups like the ones for kids have
identical ingredients listings, just different bottles. And cost less,
and they work the same too. So underneath the label, it's just shampoo
and conditioner and some stylers marketed to ethnic hair. If you go into
a LUSH store, they'll still sell you Curly Wurly even if your hair
isn't curly, but because they think the ingredients might be beneficial.
They've never said, I can't sell you this because you don't have curly
hair. Banning multiple people and deleting posts is just bad business,
in addition to talking bad about a potential customer. I'm done with
this brand, and will help spread the word that the CURLS brand is an
elitist company so prejudice against anything but true curly hair
(whatever that means) even if your website is more inclusive. Curl
patterns can very, but hair properties are the biggest indicators on how
to take care of it."

And H wrote:
"Kinky hair and curly hair are not the same. Hair can be both kinky and curly, but one does not always include the other. The Natural Haven: Curly vs. Kinky: What's the Difference?
I have fine wavy hair that has some individually kinky strands, if you look at straight texture on the strand, but my hair is definitely not curly. It is wavy, which is neither straight nor curly...it is in between."

K's comments were deleted:
"Your
open banter certainly felt like making fun of. I haven't liked your
page, nor will I. But know that your posts have been copied and pasted
into online forums and you are not presenting yourself in your best
light.""Oh dear, and you are banning people that took offense? I
don't think that will make them lighten up the way an apology would. You
still have time to act to make amends, I would do it! Represent
yourself well!"

S's comments were deleted:"Agreed." "Congratulations, you have just lost one wavy customer. Well done"

C wrote two comments that were deleted:

"Wow.
I've been silently following this mess and I'm honestly shocked and
appalled at the way the whole situation was handled. I'm sure at some
point all of us have been guilty of saying or posting something that
unintentionally upset and offended someone (or in this case, a large
group of people). Had you simply apologized and removed the original
post, we wouldn't still be having this discussion. But instead, you
chose to hide/delete the comments pointing out that the post was
(unintentionally) offensive to some people and then create an additional
post essentially implying that these people are unable to handle "open
banter." In the end, it wasn't about the post itself; it was about the
perceived self-righteous response that followed. Please keep this in
mind when the dust settles. I spent 10 years in customer service related
fields, and I never would have dreamed of letting my ego cause this
much bad publicity (and please know that this has definitely resulted in
bad publicity for your company, as many of the deleted posts and
responses have already made their way to other forums, which is how I
found out about it in the first place)."C posted this in response to the post below that refers to open banter. This comment was also deleted:"The
deleted posts and banning people from further comments was happening on
the post that started this whole mess. And having silently followed
this since it flared up, I can say that out of the 70 comments that were
made, conveniently only one glowing review of CURLS products is still
visible to the public. I don't consider that "open banter," I consider
that spin doctoring. So please don't accuse people of a lack of ability
to comprehend what they read if you don't know the whole story. But not
to worry, I've already seen screen shots of many of the deleted posts in
other forums, and the feedback from outsiders hasn't been very
favorable towards CURLS. So we'll see how long my post actually lasts on
this site and move on."

I (me, not someone who's name starts with I) commented. My comments were deleted. IDK if I was blocked, since I decided not to post on CURLS anymore."I
have hair that is fine and thin. Someone else might describe it as
tiny and limp. Before I knew how to treat my wavy hair, it was straight
and frizzy. My hair is 40% kinky. I know because I've had it
analyzed. Does that give me enough qualifications to be offended by
your e-mail and this post?"

In response to a separate post by CURLS the following day that read:"In
light of the GRAVE misunderstanding of our post about straight hair
being defined as "kinky" hair, what do you wish non textured women
understood about textured hair?"I (me) responded:

"Possibly I am misunderstanding yesterday's post. The way I understand it, I customer wrote in to you for help. You then publicly shamed her for not using kinky in the way you think it is defined. You further insulted her hair by calling it strait, frizzy, limp, and tiny. Then you posted the curly hair problem "people calling their frizzy hair curly". Many wavy haired people took offense to this, because wavy hair looks strait and frizzy when not properly cared for. Mine looked straight and frizzy before I knew how to care for it. When people posted that the were in fact offended, you deleted their comments and banned them. Rather then just saying "our bad" and taking the post down, you continued to defend this post. You even defended your 6th grade mean girl comments about the hair of the customer who wrote in for help. Is there any part so far that I have wrong? I don't think so. I don't understand why you think it is O.K. to poke fun at this customer in a public forum. Can you explain that to me? Also, I don't understand why it is O.K. to poke fun at wavy hair (A.K.A frizzy, straight hair. Nearly all "frizzy, straight hair" is actually wavy). When people online or in life poke fun at other hair textures I set them straight and tell them it is not O.K. to say such things. I would not tell the people who had to hear the offensive comments to just calm down. I would stand up for them. If you could explain why it is O.K. for your company to poke fun at wavy hair, I'd be interested in hearing that too. I await your response."

CURLS responded to this.
" yes...you absolutely did misunderstand and jumped to horrific conclusions. read the recent post on this page for clarity."I responded:"I
have read the most recent post. I don't believe it clarifies
anything. Could you address the two specific concerns in the post above
please?"
"Also
I have copies of many of the deleted comments. They do not meet the
criteria for deleting comments you out lied in your post today. I can
share the comments with you if you wish."

After I wrote the comment where I said I had copies of the deleted comments, all of my comments were deleted.

CURLS wrote: "with all due respect...no one was publicly humiliated, NO names were given, COME ON...was just sharing with fellow curlies."

CURLS also wrote:"Thank you (5 people named) for understand the internet was not meant to insult."

Hmmmm... I bet the customer who wrote in for help wishes you would have realized this before you uploaded this post where you insulted her hair.

CURLS wrote in a separate post the following day:"ATTENTION: For those that took offense to the post about people
posing as curly, and calling their "frizzy hair curly" PLEASE lighten
up! The person that emailed was NOT publicly OR privately embarrassed,
she was graciously assisted, and was happy with our HONEST feedback and
product assistance. If this kind of open banter is NOT up your alley,
this is what we do on this page, feel free to dislike the page now."

In response, I (me) wrote this comment.
"'I'm
not sure I understand your argument. Is your argument that Facebook is
not public? Is your argument that she was not embarrassed? If the
second, how do you know? Have you been in touch with her since you
posted "Received an email today from someone in need of products for her
"extremely kinky hair." Excited at the prospect, i replied, "send me
pix, i'd love to help!" OMG...she had STRAIGHT hair, a tiny limp...just
lots of frizz. Not really CURLY HAIR..." about her hair? I don't
believe these comments would make her feel more beautiful, more
confident, or like a valued customer. Also,
you say you have open banter, yet you have deleted many comments that
are critical of your treatment of this customer or your lack of
understanding of frizzy straight (A.K.A wavy) hair. None of the
comments I saw that were deleted were rude, just critical"

On 9/7/13 Curls posted this in a separate post."MESSAGE FROM MAHISHA DELLINGER, CURLS FOUNDER:

Good morning and happy Saturday CURListas! I am going to address the
post that got out of hand, once and for all. This will be the last post
about it in hopes of dropping this matter and moving on in our normal fashion. There are just too many textured hair topics to discuss for us to keep coming back to this!

The post that some viewers took offense to is below...

"Received an email today from someone in need of products for her
"extremely kinky hair." Excited at the prospect, i replied, "send me
pix, i'd love to help!" OMG...she had STRAIGHT hair, a tiny limp...just
lots of frizz. Not really CURLY HAIR..."

A FEW THINGS....

1. No where did we reference race (African American, Caucasian, Latina,
or Asian). We speak in the terms of texture, not race. 2. The
person's hair is straight (no waves, curls, or kinks) with frizz and
damage to her cuticle from bleaching and heat styling. 3. The person is NOT on Facebook. The person's name and picture was not and will NOT be posted/shared.
4. The person referenced asked for product advise, for her hair, and
received a few product recommendations, that would truly benefit her.
She was appreciative that she received honest help vs. selling her on a
line that wasn't created for her. 5. CURLS caters to all textured
hair....from the loosest wave to the kinkiest kink and everything in
between. While some products (e.g. our cleansers and conditioners) can
be used by anyone...we don't cater to this market. 6. CURLS does not discriminate based on color of one's skin or texture of hair.
7. Our Facebook page is here to help those with (or caring for) wavy,
curly, and kinky hair. CURLS is a resource in time of need. Our Facebook
page is a place to congregate, engage, and chat about all things hair
and lifestyle. 8. We aren't a resource for straight hair, it isn't
our speciality. Our straight hair counterparts have the entire hair
care section, while us textured tresses have a fraction of it. We cater
to an overlooked audience. 9. We will remove anyone that is rude, uses harsh language, or insults my staff, my brand, or myself. NO questions asked.
10. This page is owned by CURLS....our opinions are ours. While we will
never intentionally insult anyone, if the page doesn't fancy
you...unlike the page, and please move on so the rest of us can enjoy. 11. At no time did we insult anyone (or any texture)...not even the rude posters. We expect the same in return.
12. There wasn't an apology because there wasn't an insult. Had I or
my staff insulted someone, there would have been an apology, STAT! We
are human, so mistakes can be made....and we own up to ours. 13.
Lastly....the person that emailed was a Personal Trainer i was referred
to. During our conversation she found out what i do, and said she, too,
had kinky, curly hair. She emailed the picture before our first
meeting. I let her know that her hair was simply damaged from bleaching
and wasn't kinky in texture. It was frizzy and damaged and needed a
lil TLC and no more bleaching. I showed her a picture of truly kinky
hair, we shared a laugh and I advised her on how she could get her silky
straight tresses back. We moved on to getting me in the best shape as
possible!

Now...may we move on to the next topic? We have too much to chat about!"

I will not respond on the CURLS page again. I am willing to let this die. However, I'd like to respond to the post by the owner here. 3. If she is not on Facebook then that makes it O.K. to say unflattering things about her hair publicly? Is it O.K. because it is "behind her back"?

9. I'd like the reader to consider whether the deleted comments posted above fit this criteria. Many of the deleted comments actually praise the products.10. So you don't view "tiny, limp...just lots of frizz" as an insult? Is it a complement? They also call critical posts unintelligent. (see below) Is that a complement?

11. I refer you to my response to 10^^^ and ask you to read the deleted posts and see if you think they qualify as rude.

12. Again, so "tiny, limp...just a lot of frizz" is not an insult? People who call their frizzy hair curly is not an insult? It is strange then that so many people actually felt insulted.13. So, you are publicly making fun of the hair of a person you employ (your personal trainer) and that somehow makes it O.K.? Again, I wonder if she is actually aware of this Facebook post.

Curls wrote in one of their threads:"PLEASE explain to us how we hurt your feelings? We are baffled... if others are talking, unintelligently
about a gravely misconstrued banner, i cannot control that...nor will
we worry about it. we cannot please everyone, certainly not those with an axe to grind.
i will continue to service those that can and will 1. communicate
respectfully with us 2. present their ideas clearly, as you did, and 3.
have a clear and open mind. "

In one post they say they don't insult people. In the next post they call people who don't agree with them unintelligent. The reader should judge for themselves if the deleted comments above seem respectful, clear, and open minded.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Looking for a place to buy Flax Seed Gel or Okra Gel? Go to SweetCurlsElixirs on ETSY. She also sells a Flax Seed Spray that sounds great for second day hair, a Flax Seed Curl Cream, and an oil treatment. All the orders are custom. You can add exactly what your hair needs. There is a list of add-ins and scents to choose from. To make choosing a scent easier, the owner has a list of her favorite combos, which sound amazing.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Many of these are much easier then traditional french braids. The first video on this post gives a tutorial for french and dutch braiding, if you would like one.

The french rope braid. Much easier then a french braid, but still looks complicated.

Here is a french rope braid variation on the side of the hair once worn by Rihanna. The style starts 1 minute into the video.

I don't know the proper name for this, but I call it a two strand twist headband. It is like a french rope braid where you twist as you go. This makes a more substantial "braid" then a traditional french braid. Substantial is good if you have thin hair. :) This style works on chin length hair and possibly shorter. Another beautiful preview pic of me. *sigh*

Twisting hair can be a good way to get the layered sides to stay in an updo. Start watching at 1:15 for the style and at 5:30 to see twisting the sides.

French fishtail. I'd say this is more difficult then a rope braid, but easier then a French braid. It takes more time to do then a french braid.

Tangle Braid, easier then a french braid. This style is one "invented" by my sister (We are sure she isn't the first to invent this.) She calls it Tangle Braid because she does it when she is out and about and the weather has killed her hair. Because you can section hair in larger sections then French braid, it works well on tangled hair. Thus, the name tangle braid. Click to see my blog post on Tangle Braid with a visual aid.

The waterfall twist for long hair or long layers. This is sort of a cheater version of the waterfall twist (or you can do this for a cheater waterfall braid). It won't work on short layers.

The following braids are all equal to or harder then a french braid (to me). The first two knot braids however are a little easier then a french braid.

Waterfall twist. This one works for shorter layers. It was about the same level of difficulty as a french braid (to me).

Waterfall Braid. I can do this on someone else's hair, but get confused doing this on my own hair. Advanced level braiding.

The Knot Braid Updo was a little easier french braiding. The second video is the same as the first in this group, the "braid" just starts higher on the head. The second video has clearer directions. You must cross the hair with the correct strand on top, pull the correct strand through, and twist the strands the right way for each side. The last version is easier then the first two. I still have to concentrate to make sure I keep knotting in the same direction.

"Braiding" starts 1 minute into this video.

This is another version, the Knotted Headband. I kept getting confused on this one. This is more difficult then the two above. Mine did not look nice and neat like the one in the video. :(

About Me

I have been a member of Curl Talk (Naturallycurly.com) since the fall of 2009 and a member of the Wavy Hair Community on facebook since it started in spring 2012. I'm not a scientist, a stylist, or any type of hair professional. I have read quite a bit on blogs and forums about hair. Hair is a hobby of mine.